“Nobody’s ever lived to tell.”
“Well, we have a first to shoot for, 99,” Max said.
“Jump!” Lucky Bucky commanded.
Max pointed to his foot. “Isn’t it a little barbaric to make a man die without his shoe telephone on?”
“If I find it, I’ll toss it down after you,” Lucky Bucky promised.
“I suppose that will have to do,” Max said. He turned to 99. “I’m sorry it has to end this way, 99. If we had completed this mission alive, there was something I was going to ask you.”
“Yes, Max. . what?” 99 said tearfully.
“Well, I was hoping you’d help me get that peanut brittle crunch back into that capsule. If I lose it, it’ll come out of my pay, you know.”
“Enough of this sentimental chit-chat!” Lucky Bucky shouted. “Jump!”
99 sniffled. “May I hold your hand, Max?”
“Of course, 99. I won’t need it where I’m going.”
“Juuuuuuump already!” Lucky Bucky screamed.
Hand in hand, Max and 99 leaped into the bottomless pit.
“Are you afraid, Max?” 99 whimpered as they hurtled downward through the pitch darkness.
“Afraid, no, 99. But I’m a little worried.”
“About what, Max?”
“Well, if this is really a bottomless pit, we’re going to be falling for an awful long time. Forever, would be my guess.”
“That
“That isn’t what’s worrying me.”
“What, then, Max?”
“How is the bookkeeping department at Control going to look at it? Are we going to be paid double for overtime? Or are they going to take it out of our vacation?”
“Max, you know the bookkeeping department!”
“I guess you’re right. Well, let’s try to enjoy ourselves, in that case, 99, We’re on vacation.”
9
Max and 99 suddenly hit water. Water was all around them. Instinctively, they held their breaths and thrashed their way to the surface. All at once they were able to breathe again, although they were still in the water.
“99,” Max said, “are you by any chance pretending that we’re vacationing at Miami Beach?”
“Not me, Max.”
“Then we must have found the bottom of the bottomless pit. And apparently it’s filled with water.”
“Does that suggest Miami Beach to you, Max?”
“No, 99, I was- Nevermind. Can you see anything?”
“Not a thing, Max.”
“I seem to be moving. Are you moving, 99?”
“I think so. Max, I think we landed in some kind of underground stream. And the current seems to be taking us somewhere.”
“Either that, 99, or we landed in some kind of underground stream and we’re caught up in the current.”
“Max! There’s a light up ahead!”
“I hardly think so, 99. Lucky Bucky obviously doesn’t know about this stream. And if he did, he wouldn’t light it, would he? And since he doesn’t, who would?”
“Would what, Max?”
“Light it.”
“But that
“99, it’s daytime. Nobody keeps the lights on in the daytime.”
“But, Max, can’t you see it? It’s definitely a light.”
“I know that, 99. All I’m saying is- Oh. It’s daylight, 99. We’re coming to the end of the underground stream.”
“I wonder where it will take us?”
“My guess would be-”
The stream swept them from the cavern and out into the ocean. Huge waves washed over them.
“Well, wrong again,” Max said.
“Swim, Max!”
“99, I’m not a child. I don’t have to be told what to do when I find myself over my head in ocean.”
They swam back to the island and dragged themselves up on the beach. After they had rested a moment, Max got up and looked around.
“Where are we, Max?” 99 asked wearily.
“I don’t recognize it, 99. But evidently something terrible has happened here.”
“What, Max?” 99 said, rising.
“Look-over there. That whole ring of trees has apparently been snapped off at the base by some giant, ferocious animal.”
“Oh. . Max! You snapped them off at the base with that collapsible machine gun-remember? We’re right back where we started!”
Max sighed. “Then this is it, 99. We’ll never find our way back to that castle.”
“Couldn’t we try, Max?”
“There just isn’t time. For all we know, Lucky Bucky may be setting out with Guru Optimo right now to take over the world. This calls for drastic action, 99.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Yes. I’m going to call the Chief and have him send the Air Force to bomb this island out of existence.”
“Max, in the first place, if the Air Force bombs this island out of existence, won’t we be bombed out of existence with it?”
“That’s a sacrifice we’ll have to make, 99. What’s more important-us, or the fate of the entire civilized world?”
“Well. . ”
“I tend to agree with you, 99. But I suspect that the entire civilized world would have a different opinion.”
“Max, there’s something else. How are you going to call the Chief? Lucky Bucky threw your shoe out that window.”
“Simple, 99,” Max replied, taking off his other shoe. “I’m going to use the extension.”
“I didn’t know about that, Max.”
“I try to keep it a secret,” Max said. “When the information gets out that you have two phones, some practical joker always tries to call you on both lines at once, and you find yourself talking to yourself.”
Max dialed.
